Animated figure toy



Sept. 14, 1954 L, BONANNQ 2,688,819

ANIMATED FIGURE TOY Filed Aug. l, 1951 INVENTOR. z/asfP/,f Z. 50M/wvo yPatented Sept. 14, 1954 Afr Nr oFFICl;

ANiMA'rED FIGURE TOY Joseph# L. Bonanno, Madison,N.- Ji, assignor to The'Lionel Corporation, New York, N. Y., a

corporation of,y New York Application August 1, 19521, Serial N0. 239,681

3,(llaims.

The 'present' nii/'entrenv relates vto animated gure toys and is more particularly directed to toys rhaving a toy house with figure which cornes out; of a normally closed door and returns to the toy house after which the door closes.

The present invention relates to improvements in toys for these purposes over those previously shown in patents to Handy No. 1,966,031, dated July 1I), 1934, and Bonanno No. 2,138,367, dated November 29, 1938.

The present invention relates more particularly to the electromagnetically operated mechanisms or shifting the iigure and opening the door. Here the parts shown are developed for low cost manufacture, ease of assembly and repairs and without sacrifice of utility or play Value.

The toy building, apart from the door and figure operating mechanism is shown and claimed in my concurrently led application, Toy Buildings, Ser. No. 239,682.

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustrating the present invention, one embodiment in which the invention may take form, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of the animated figure toy with the door open;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Figure with the door closed;

Figure 3 is an inverted plan view with parts broken away and the bottom cover removed;

Figure 4 is a vertical section on line 4 4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3 with parts in elevation; and

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6- 6 of Figure 3.

As sho-wn in the perspective view of Fig. 1, the animated gure toy has a base Ii), a house II with the door I2 open in the doorway or door opening, and a toy ngure or manikin simulating the gateman or signal man. The device simulates the satemans shanty alongside the usual railroad track.

As shown in the drawings, the base Iii is, for convenience, a rectangular shaped sheet metal member with downwardly extending anges I5. It supports the toy house II. The door I2 for the toy house has an upwardly extending pintle I6 entering into the recess in the top of the doorway of the toy house and has a pivot post II which passes down through an opening in the base ID. The lower end of the pintle I'I carries a molded plastic gear member I8 with a lower i 2 ange I e preferably somewhat larger in diameter than the outer diameter of the gear teeth.

The base Ilicarries a pivot post 20 some distance beyond the other edge of the doorway.` This pivot post carries a sector shaped arm 2| having teeth 22 which mesh with the teeth of the gear I8. The lever arm 2| is held in place on pin 26 by a spring washer 23 and is provided with pairs of upwardly extending prongs 24, 25 which reach nearly to the lower surface of the base Il] so as to keep the arm from shifting out of position. It is held against separation from the gear I8 by the ange I9. The sector arm 2I carries a post 26 which extends up through an arcuate slot 2l in the base and carries a manikin or figure I3 above referred to.

The arm ZI is biased to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 by a spring 28. When the parts are in this position the iigure or manikin is inside the toy house and the door of the toy house is closed.

The base Iii also carries a solenoid coil 30 having a magnetizable plunger 3i whose free end 32 bears against the edge 33 of the lever arm 2I. One lead 531i from the coil is connected to a vertical rodt insulated from the base I0 and the other end of the coil is grounded to the base I0. Rod 35 and a similar uninsulated rod 36 are employed as shown in the application above referred to and hold the house unit on the base and provide current connections under the rooir of the toy house. The mechanism carried in the base i@ is covered and protected by a bottom cover member 37, Figs. 4 and 5.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other forms and constructions within the scope of the claims, I wish it to be understood that the particular form shown is but one of these forms, and various modications and changes being possible, I do not otherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A toy comprising a toy house having a doorway, a base supporting the toy house, a door pivotally supported by the base and the top of the doorway near one edge thereof for swinging outwardly, a gear carried by the lower door pivot below the base, a toothed sector of larger radius than the radius of the gear, meshing with the gear and pivoted to the base beyond the other edge of the doorway, a spring acting on the sector to hold the door closed, a post extending upwardly from the sector and passing through a slot in the base partly behind the doorway and partly in front of it, a gure carried on the post and movable through the doorway when the sector moves the door open and retreating into the building when the door closes, and a solenoid coil having a horizontal axis at substantially the level of the sector and an armature plunger in the coil acting on the edge of the sector to move it against the spring to open the door and advance the figure.

2. An electrically operated figure toy comprising a base, a horizontal solenoid coil carried by the base and carrying a magnetzable plunger beloW the base, a flat sheet metal arm pivotally carried by the base and having gear teeth at its outer edge, the arm having a side edge engageable With the plunger and being shiftable by the plunger when the coil is energized, a spring holding the arm in position to be moved by the plunger, a ngure carried by the arm above the base, the figure having a support which passes through a slot in the base, a gear supported from the base and meshing with the gear teeth on the arm, a toy house above the base provided with a doorway across the slot in the base, and a door pivotally carried in the doorway and drivingly connected to the gear to be actuated to closed p0- 4 sition by the spring and to open position by the plunger.

3. A toy comprising a toy house having a doorway, a base supporting the toy house, a. door pivotally supported by the base and the top of the doorway near one edge thereof for swinging out- Wardly, a gear carried by the lower door pivot below the base and having a lower flange extending beyond the teeth, a toothed sector meshing with the gear, a pivot post carried by the base and supporting the toothed sector, the sector having upwardly extending members adapted to engage the lower surface of the base and limit upward movement of the sector, the flange keeping it in engagement with the gear teeth, a spring biasing the sector to position the door in one position, and an electromagnet having a plunger engaging the sector to shift the door to the other position.

References Cited in the Ille of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Datel 2,138,367 Bonanno Nov. 29, 1938 2,551,545 Parsons May 1, 1951 

